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Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
31–40 of 296 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#32My kid's almost three. From day one, we've implemented a zero screen policy. That means no phones, tablets, computers, TV (don't own one), etc. We've read to her since day one and she loves books now and her spoken/listening language skills are way ahead for her age. Wife speaks to her in her native language so she's growing up bilingual too. Wife takes her to parks, mommy and me classes where they have story time, s…
Interested in your household. Dual income? Single Income w/SAHP?
What is your plan for Grandparents, babysitters, childcare, or even the school system to help maintain no screens?
No screens seems awfully privileged in a way... maybe you're just Bill Gates
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#33For our kids the big problem was youtube. Give them a game on their tablet and they are quickly collaborating on it. Give them a show and they will go see what the other person is watching. After not too long (an hour or two) they are completely done and doing something else. But youtube is different. They can sit alone, in a corner, slack jawed, for 8 hours per day, only watching youtube, as they respond to all ques…
My kids do this and I mostly just let them. They do well in school, have friends, are physically healthy. I was the same with TV and games at their age and now I'm living the life. Internet addiction can be an outlet for other unhealthy behavior but I don't think it's a cause.
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
What do you do with her when you are out with friends? Restaurants, etc?
Sit quietly, talk, color, maybe read. Is this hard to believe? We did that.
A 2-3 year old sitting there quietly talking, coloring or reading? Yeah it's very very very hard to believe. Even if the child is an absolute saint there's such things as sensory overload.
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#35Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#36I think our generation is a bit lucky as we're some of the first who experienced internet/technology addiction. Many of us still have challenges with it.
But that makes us more equipped to parent it. Moderation, appealing alternatives, technical prowess, modeling healthy habits, access in a public/supervised environment, etc.
I do wonder what the future will look like for parental controls and big tech. Especially in the USA.
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#37I don’t know if I will.
I was a computer addicted kid since I was about 8, when parents bought me a computer in 1995. When faster internet came, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was on the internet nonstop. And later on social media - LiveJournal, Blogger, Flickr, YouTube, but also some local servers that people here won’t know.
I don’t think it hurt me that much? Now I am a developer and making more money than most of my friends from that time, that were not sitting all day on computer.
So… it would be kind of hypocritical from me to restrict my kids doing the same? I don’t know
My kids are still too young to understand computers though (1 and 3). So let’s see
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#38Keep them offline.
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sit quietly, talk, color, maybe read. Is this hard to believe? We did that.
A 2-3 year old sitting there quietly talking, coloring or reading? Yeah it's very very very hard to believe. Even if the child is an absolute saint there's such things as sensory overload.
Are you guys being serious? It would be a cold day in hell before my children sat at a dinner table with an ipad for entertainment! A 3 year old talking, colouring, playing games etc before food arrives is absolutely normal and acheivable!
Re: Ask HN: How do you protect your children from internet addiction?
#40I've been fighting this battle for years and I still fight it every day with my kids.
First, you MUST set limits on everything addictive to children in your house including the internet. Limit the content they can access and the place and time they can use it. You can adjust the limits, but never remove them.
Second, if they're old enough, explain the concept of addiction to them. Here is a perfect video to do that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUngLgGRJpo A child will understand exactly what addiction means after watching this video.
Third, show them that you also have limits on your own tech usage. They might not be the same limits you put on them, but you have limits. They will understand this way that limits are not something they can "grow out of" and are part of being an adult.
Last, when they do break the rules, don't shame them for it and don't give them approval for it either. Make it clear that you still love them and the rules are still in place.
Good luck.